A House Divided
by FaithInHim4ever
Summary: When an old friend of Eric's asks for his assistance in a matter that involves pirates, it causes trouble for Eric and Ariel. R/R
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT own any of the chars from TLM. They belong to Disney. I do however own Melody Noelle Coralsen and any other characters you don't recognize.

God loves you!  
Enjoy!

A/N: This story took us a few days to write. But I'm really happy with the way it turned out!

"A House Divided"

It was around seven o' clock in the morning when Sebastian was rudely awakened by something hitting him on the head.

"Aw, mun! What time is it?"

Melody giggled as she realized her plan had worked.

"Auntie lana comes today!" She announced.

"I know, I know, child. But did you have to wake me up dat way?"

He then posed another question to the two-and-a-half year-old.

"Did your mudder get you up?"

"No." She replied.

It took Sebastian a minute to put two and two together.

"Did your fada get you out?" He asked, knowing Eric was an early riser.

"I got me out. " Melody replied.

"Melody, child, you know de rules of dis house. You stay where you are until your mudder comes for you."

Melody shook her head.

"I cimbed out like a big girl."

"Ariel!" Sebastian yelled feeling like he had no other option.

"No yelling in the house." Melody reminded him.

Ariel came into the room a few minutes later still rubbing her eyes.

"Sebastian, it's too early for this." She said as a yawn escaped her lips.

"You're telling me." Sebastian said.

"What's going…" She then spotted Melody and raised her eyebrows at Sebastian. "You got Melody up on a Saturday morning?"

"Why would I do someting like dat? I'd have to be crazy to get up early on a Saturday. We crabs need our sleep. You would do well to teach your daughter dat."

"Did Eric get her out?" She asked.

Sebastian shook his head.

"Then if Eric didn't get her out, how…."

Melody looked at her mother and smiled. She then replied proudly, "I cimbed out like a big girl."

Ariel gasped in shock for a minute.

"Dat's exactly how I felt." Sebastian said.

After she had recovered, she kneeled down to her daughter's level and held her arms out.

Melody wasted no time in running into them.

Before she said anything to her daughter, she turned to Sebastian.

"Well, I guess it's time to talk to Eric about getting Melody a big girl bed. With guard rails." She added under her breath.

Sebastian looked at Ariel strangely.

"You aren't going to tell her she did someting wrong."

Ariel turned to Melody who was still in her arms.

"Sweetheart, as proud as I am of you, Uncle Sebastian's right."

"Hey! You promised me you would teach her not to, I am?"

Ariel ignored him.

"I know you want to be a big girl, but if you climb out of your crib by yourself, you could get hurt. And Daddy and I don't want that. We love you too much."

Melody nodded. She gazed over at Sebastian for confirmation.

"Yeah, yeah. I love you too. But no more hitting me on the head with tings." Then under his breath he added, "We have Spot for dat."

"Melody." Ariel said as she turned her attention to her daughter. She pulled away so she was looking into her eyes. " "It's not nice to hit anyone." She said. It makes them sad. You don't want Uncle Sebastian to be sad, do you?"

Melody shook her head and frowned.

"Sorry, Uncle Sebastian." She said truthfully.

"Aw, dat's all right." He said. I still love, hey!"

"Sebastian, she's barely three. Give her time. She'll call you 'Sebastian when she's ready."

Sebastian sighed as Melody picked him up for a hug.

Just then, Grim walked into the room.

"Princess Ariel," he said. He only called her and Eric by their royal titles when the situation called for it. "Your sister is arriving on the one o' clock tide. But there are also some interesting guests in the parlor who are demanding to see Eric."

"And I taught your fada was demanding when he got in a bad mood." Sebastian commented.

"Who could they be?" Ariel wondered as she scooped Melody up and headed for the sed room.

Getting to the parlor, Ariel found two men there. One she recognized and the other she didn't.

"Daniel?" She said. "What's going on?"

"Ariel, it's good to see you." He said sincerely. He got a look at Melody and grinned. "And Melody's getting so big."

Ariel nodded.

Daniel caught her curious look towards the newcomer and made the introductions.

"Ariel, I would like you to meet Captain Nathan Blackstone of the US Silver Moon."

Ariel held out her hand even though she could feel it shaking.

"It's nice to meet you. " She said. She then whispered to Daniel, "You brought a pirate here?"

"I assured you Princess," Captain Blackstone said. "I wish to cause no trouble in your waters. I'm simply here to ask for Prince Eric's assistance."

'Assistance in what?" She asked.

"I'm sorry, princes, but that's for me and Eric to discuss." He said. "Besides," he said as he noticed Melody trying to get out of Ariel's arms, "it appears you have your hands full at the moment."

Ariel tried to be as polite as she could towards the other guest. But she couldn't help worry.

In the last eight years, they had never had any trouble from pirates.

Eric joined them just then.

He gave Ariel's hand a comforting squeeze as he sat down next to her.

"Hey Daniel!" He said, happy to see his best friend. "What brings you here?"

"I'm afraid this isn't a social call." He told him. "We're here to ask for your help."

"What kind of help?" Eric asked.

"This is Captain Blackstone of the US Silver Moon. He needs to speak with you about some things."

Before Blackstone could begin, Daniel glanced at Ariel before turning his attention back to Eric.

Ariel had a feeling Daniel was trying to protect her and she appreciated his kindness. But she was a big girl now and she didn't need protecting.

Even so, Melody was starting to become restless.

"I'm gonna feed Melody her breakfast." Ariel said as she stood up. "Come on, sweetheart."

Melody happily went with Ariel. She was beginning to feel hungry. She was also anxious for her Aunt Alana to come.

Setting Melody in her high chair, Ariel gave her some apple juice and a coloring book and some crayons.

She started rummaging through the cabinets to see what she could make them both for breakfast.

Sebastian joined them a moment later.

"Mommy?" Melody said from her place at the table.

"Yeah, Mel?" Ariel answered as she turned to face her daughter.

"Can I have some pudding?"

"Pudding?" Ariel said with a giggle. "You silly girl! You can't have pudding for breakfast."

Melody nodded.

"You gaveded it to me yesterday."

"I did?" Ariel asked.

Melody sighed.

Sebastian chuckled.

"What are you laughing at?" She asked.

The crab shrugged.

"Noting. Your daughter's just cute."

"Melody, can you tell Mommy what it was?" She asked. "I'm not saying you can't have it. But I need to know what it was first."

It was then that Ariel realized something.

She went to the fridge and pulled out a carton of strawberry yogurt.

"Was it this, Mel?" She asked, setting the carton on the tray.

Melody's brown eyes lit up.

"Yeah!" She said excitedly.

"All right. You can have some. " She said. "But you need to eat something else with it."

Melody glanced over at Sebastian.

"Oh no. Not me!" He said. "No eating uncles for breakfast. Or any oder meal for dat matter."

Melody shook her head and giggled.

"Is Uncle Sebastian eating too?" She asked.

Sebastian sighed with relief.

"Tank goodness. And yes, child. I'll stay. Especially if your mudder's cooking."

"Aw, I know what you want." Ariel said referring to Melody. With that, she pulled out a pan and poured something in it that smelled like strawberry and maple.

"Oatmeal!" Melody cheered.

"Yup." Ariel said.

"Yay!" The little girl cheered.

Ariel grinned over at her daughter.

As she was putting the oatmeal in a bowl, she heard Melody gasp followed by saying, "Uh-oh."

Ariel turned around to see what was going on and found Melody's juice cup on the floor.

"It's okay." She assured her. "It was just an accident." With that, she cleaned up the mess and gave Melody some more juice to drink.

The rest of breakfast went by without any further incident.

Melody ate her oatmeal happily and finished the whole bowl. She also ate a half a bowl of yogurt.

After breakfast was over, Ariel took Melody upstairs to get her ready.

Getting into the bathroom, Ariel set the water and put some bubble bath in it.

She helped Melody undress and set her in the tub.

She let her play for a few minutes before starting to wash her down.

After the bath was over, Ariel dried Melody off with a towel and carried her into her room to get dressed.

Dressing Melody in a blue shirt with a dolphin on it and a pair of pink shorts, Ariel brushed out her hair and put it in a braid before leading her downstairs to play for a while.

Once in the living room, Melody made a bee line for the window and stared out of it.

Ariel knew what she wanted to do. A part of her wanted to go in as well, but she knew it was just a little too cold for the day.

"Mommy, can we go in the water? Please?" Melody asked.

"I'm afraid not today, sweetie." Ariel answered. "Maybe tomorrow."

Melody frowned.

"I wanna go outside!" Melody whined.

"Mel, I told you, it's too cold today." Ariel explained. "And please don't whine."

Melody pouted as she looked around the room for something to do.

"Here." Ariel suggested as she pulled a puzzle towards her. "Let's put this together."

Melody took a look at it and shook her head.

"Do you wanna play the piano for a little while?"

Again, Melody shook her head.

"Do you want me to read you a story?"

Melody shook her head.

"De child's stubborn." Sebastian commented from the doorway.

"How about we go visit Aunt Aquata." She suggested. "Auntie Alana isn't coming for a little while."

"Can we go in the water?"

"No. We're going to her house." She told her.

Before Melody could object, Ariel went to the phone.

"Hi sis!" She said once Aquata picked up. "Care for two visitors?"

"Sure!" She said. "Is Melody getting restless?"

"You have no idea."

Aquata laughed.

"Don't worry. Cadence will wear her out."

"I don't want her to get tired before her N-A-P." She said. "It's just she wants to go in the w-a-t-e-r and it's just not possible."

"Oh if only Father could hear you now." Aquata said with a laugh.

"Aquata, I didn't say I wasn't going to let her in at all."

"I know, I know. Come on over." She said. "Cadence and I just made some brownies."

After Ariel hung up the phone, she got Melody's jacket and her own and helped her into it.

"Come on." She said. "Aunt Aquata made brownies."

Melody's eyes lit up at this. She loved any sweet.

"Do you tink she would mind if I came too." Sebastian asked. "I'm not too fond of staying here with Max."

"Sebastian, Max wont' hurt you." Ariel assured him. "But you can come. I'm sure Aquata would love to see you."

Sebastian grinned as he ducked into her hair.

Before she left, Ariel poked her head in the den where the men were still conversing.

"I'm gonna take Melody to visit Aquata." She told her husband. "She's got a little ocean fever."

Eric chuckled at his wife's mispronunciation of the word.

"It's cabin fever." He reminded her gently.

"Oh. Well, whatever it is, Melody's got it bad."

"Okay. Be careful." The boy advised.

"We will be. Love you."

"I love you too." He said.

When Ariel and Melody, along with Sebastian, arrived at Aquata's house, they were greeted by Aquata and her husband Antonio.

"Hey!" Antonio said grinning at Ariel. "Long time no see. I thought if we moved up here, we'd see you every day."

Ariel giggled.

"Hey Antonio." She said. "It's good to see you too."

Just then, Cadence ran out of the house. She ran straight for her father.

"Daddy, can we try it one more time? Please?"

"We'll play again later." He promised her. "Look whose here."

"Aunt Ariel!" She shrieked as she threw her arms around her aunt.

"Hey, sweetie. What did you do today?"

"Daddy and I went swimming." She answered.

Ariel groaned inwardly.

"Mommy, please?" Melody asked.

Ariel shot her brother-in-law a look.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

Ariel sighed.

"I guess it'll be okay for a little bit. " She said.

"Yay!" Melody cheered.

Ariel frowned just then.

"But we didn't bring your bathing suit."

"Don't worry about that." Aquata said. 'I still have the one I kept here for her when she went swimming the last time. Come on, sweetie. Let's get you ready." With that, Aquata lead Melody upstairs.

Melody happily went with her aunt.

Once alone, Antonio asked Ariel the question he had wanted an answer to since she had arrived.

"So how's that husband of yours?" He asked.

"He's good." Ariel replied. "He's back home talking to some people right now."

"Aunt Ariel, do you want some lemonade?" Cadence offered.

Ariel glanced at the cup in the eight-year-old's hands then at Antonio.

"I didn't do anything to it." He said. 'I promise."

"Okay." She said. She took the cup from her niece and drank a little bit.

Satisfied when it tasted normal, Ariel set the cup down before sitting across from her brother-in-law.

"So are you and my sister planning on having another baby?"

Antonio blushed.

"We're working on it. " He said.

"Go on." Aquata said as she led Melody downstairs. "Show Mommy."

Melody ran into the room and straight into Ariel's arms.

"Aw, you look so cute." Ariel said as she got a good look at the bathing suit.

It was bright blue with pink and purple flowers on it.

After an hour or so of swimming, Ariel beckoned Melody out of the water so they could have lunch.

"Melody, come on, honey." Ariel called. "It's lunchtime now."

"Aw, come on, Aunt Ariel." Cadence said. "We're having fun! Just five more minutes? Please?"

Ariel sighed.

"Okay. But after that, you both need to get out."

"Okay." Cadence agreed. With that, they went back to playing.

Ten minutes later, Ariel realized she had let them stay in there a little longer than she should have.

"All right, you guys." Ariel said as she got to the water's edge. "It's time to get out now."

"Okay." Cadence replied as she made her way out of the pool.

Getting on land, she dried off before going to help her father set up the picnic table.

Melody, however, hadn't moved.

Knowing she could swim fairly well for her age, Ariel held her arms out and waited a minute or two.

When a few minutes passed with no sign of movement from her daughter, she sighed.

"Melody, come on. It's time for lunch." Ariel announced.

"I'm not hungry." Melody told her.

"Aunt Aquata made brownies."

This got Melody to move. She swam towards her mother and allowed her to help her out of the pool.

"Aw, there you go. Come on. Let's go see what Aunt Aquata and Uncle Toni made."

"Uncle Toni's a good cook." Melody said.

"Better than me?"  
melody shook her head.

"No way!" She said emphatically.

Ariel giggled as she carried her daughter to the picnic table

She got her some juice and started filling a plate with things she knew her daughter liked.

She took a veggie burger for herself and sat next to Melody once she was done filling the plate.

"We have to thank God first." Melody said as Antonio went to take a bite of his food.

"Oops." He said. "I'm sorry. I forgot."

After they had said grace, they dug in.

Halfway through the meal, Cadence asked a question Ariel wasn't ready for.

"So, Dad, do you think those pirates are coming here?"

Antonio shrugged as he took a bite of potato salad.

"I don't know, honey." He said. "But you don't have to worry about them. They're not after kids."

"Then what are they after?" Ariel asked.

"I'm not sure." Antonio said. "The people who work at the plant with me seem to think they're after some sort of treasure."

"Antonio!" Aquata scolded. "I told you not to go spreading that stuff around."

Antonio gave his wife an innocent look.

"I didn't start it. " He protested in a whiny tone.

Cadence giggled as did Melody.

"Uncle Toni's silly!" She declared.

Ariel nodded.

"He can be. " She said. "Eat up now. You're almost done."

Melody nodded.

"Father doesn't think they're anything to worry about. " Aquata reported.

"You've talked to Daddy?" Ariel asked. "How is he?"  
"He's good." Aquata said. "He misses you."

"I miss him too." Ariel admitted. "But does he know what's going on up here?"

"Ariel, of course he does." Aquata said. "They don't call him the king of the sea for nothing."

Just then, they heard a scream. It was quickly followed by a thick Jamaican accent exclaim, "I am not a piece of food!"

"Oops." Melody said as she watched Cadence blush.

"Sorry Sebastian." Cadence said.

"Sebastian, I didn't know you came." Aquata said in surprise. "How are you?"  
"I'd be fine if your daughter didn't try to spare me."

"I said I was sorry." Cadence said sheepishly.

"Sebastian, it's okay." Ariel assured him. "Cadence didn't mean it."

Sebastian ducked back into her hair before glaring at his niece.

Halfway through the meal, Melody reached for a brownie.

Ariel shook her head. She gently pulled Melody's hand away from the plate.

"You need to finish your lunch first. " She explained. "You're almost done. Then you can have a brownie."

Melody frowned, but decided to obey her mother. She really wanted a brownie, but she knew her mother would keep her word.

After lunch was over, Antonio engaged the kids in a game of freeze tag while Ariel and Aquata talked for a little while.

Ariel enjoyed spending time with her eldest sister and she was happy Aquata had moved on land. She liked having her close by.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT own any of the chars from TLM. They belong to Disney. I do however own Melody Noelle Coralsen and any other characters you don't recognize.

God loves you!  
Enjoy!

A/N: This story's just on a roll! I hope everyone likes the next chapter!

"A House Divided"

Chapter 2

When Ariel and Melody arrived back at the house, Ariel took Melody upstairs to get ready for her nap.

Melody was tired from swimming and playing with Cadence, so she didn't give Ariel too much trouble about laying down.

Ariel sung to her and stayed with her until she was fast asleep.

Once she was sure Melody was in dreamland, Ariel kissed her cheek and left the room.

She went in search of Eric. She wanted to see what he and the men had talked about and whether what Antonio had said was true.

She found Eric in his study.

He smiled when he saw her standing behind him.

"Hi, sweetheart." She greeted. "We're back. Melody had a really good time. It was nice to see Aquata again."

"I'm glad you two enjoyed yourselves." Eric said sincerely.

"Do you wanna take a break?" Ariel asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I wish I could." Eric told her. "But I have to get these plans done by tomorrow. Captain Blackstone wants this boat built by next week."

"They're going to use one of our boats to fight those pirates?" Ariel asked in disbelief.

"I'm afraid so. " Eric replied. "Is Melody asleep?"

Ariel nodded.

"Yes. I put her down a few minutes ago. Speaking of our Melody, I need to talk to you about something. I think it's time we get her a big girl bed."

"Why?" Eric asked. He gave Ariel his full attention now.

"Because she climbed out of her crib this morning and nearly gave her uncle a heart attack." Ariel giggled at the memory.

Eric grinned.

"That's my girl!" He said proudly.

"Eric! As proud as I am of Melody, she can't keep doing that. She could get hurt."

"I know. " Eric reasoned. "Did you talk to her?"

"Yeah. I think she understood a little bit."

"We'll go look for a bed for her this weekend." He promised.

Ariel smiled.

"Thank you."

"No problem." Eric said. He kissed Ariel on the cheek before turning his attention back to his work.

Leaving her husband alone to get things done, Ariel went out to the balcony to have some time alone.

It was only when she looked out towards the ocean, did she realize Alana hadn't arrived yet.

It was almost two-thirty and she was supposed to be there by two.

Feeling a little worried, Ariel went back into the house to ask Grimsby if he knew anything.

He told her that Alana's time had been delayed by an hour.

Ariel thanked him for telling her and returned to the balcony. She found herself starting to hum a song she often sung to Melody while gazing out at her second home.

It wasn't long before she heard Melody call for her.

Smiling to herself at the fact that Melody had remembered the rules, Ariel went to get her up.

Getting to Melody's room, she found her daughter sitting up, playing with some toys.

"Hey, Mel. Did you have a nice nap?" Ariel asked as she bent down and picked her up.

Melody nodded.

"is Auntie 'Lana here?" She asked hopefully.

"Not yet." Ariel told her. "But she'll be here soon. Do you want a snack while we wait for her?"

"Yes, please?" Melody said as she snuggled into Ariel for a cuddle.

"Aw, what nice words." Ariel commented as she carried her daughter downstairs.

Arriving down in the kitchen, Ariel set Melody in her high chair before getting a snack for the both of them.

Ariel pulled out some fruit and poured Melody a cup of apple juice.

Halfway through their snack, Grimsby entered the room.

"May I present Princess Alana of Atlantica."

Ariel grinned as she jumped up and embraced her sister.

"It's so good to see you!" Ariel exclaimed as Alana hugged back.

"Same here, little sister." Alana said as they broke apart. "hey, Melody!" She said turning to the little girl. "You've gotten so big! How old are you now?"

"I'm almost three!" She announced.

"Wow!" Alana said pretending to sound impressed. "You must be a big girl."

"I cimbed out my crib!" She told her proudly.

"And gave Uncle Sebastian a heart attack." Sebastian confirmed. "Hey, Alana. What's up?"

"Nothing much." She said, sitting down next to Melody's high chair. "Can I Take her out?" She asked, turning to Ariel.

"Sure." She said.

"Aw, come here, sweetie." She said as she settled the child in her lap.

"I think it's only fair to warn you," Ariel said. "Melody won't stay put for long."

"It's okay." Alana said. "She can show me around."

Giving Melody a hug, she set the child down and Melody took her hand.

"I'll show you my room first." She announced.

Alana grinned as she followed the toddler upstairs.

Ariel went after them to make sure Melody didn't go anywhere she wasn't supposed to.

After the tour was over, Carlotta made iced tea for the three of them and served it to them out on the balcony.

"This place is nice." Alana commented.

"Mommy and I Come here a lot." Melody told her.

"That's right." Ariel confirmed. "Aw, come here."

Melody went to her mother's waiting arms and allowed her to hold her for a few minutes.

"So do you think you'll ever settle down?" Ariel asked her sister.

"Someday." Alana said. "Did you hear about Arista trying to play matchmaker?"

"Yeah. " Ariel said with a laugh. "I'll bet Urchin loved that."

"Adella thinks he still has a crush on you."

"Don't even go there." Ariel said with a sigh.

"Mommy's married!" Melody informed her.

"Happily so. " Ariel said with a smile.

"So how long are you staying?" Ariel asked.

"Well I was thinking of going to visit that elder sister of ours. So probably tomorrow."

"You can stay here." Ariel offered. "There's plenty of room."

"Thanks." Alana said.

"No thanks needed." She assured her.

After hanging out outside for a little while longer, Ariel, Alana and Melody returned to the house.

"Ariel, can I talk to you for a minute?" Eric asked as he ran into them in the hall. "Hey, Alana." He said as an after thought.

"Hey dude." Alana said. "What's up?"  
"Nothing much. Would you mind watching Melody for a minute?"

"I wouldn't mind at all. Come on, sweetie. Aunt Alana will tell you some funny stories about your Mommy when she was your age."

"Okay!" With that, the two were gone.

Once the two were out of earshot, Ariel threw Eric a concerned look.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Well, I talked to Blackstone and Daniel for a few hours." He started. "And they've come up with a plan."

"Why am I not liking the sound of this?" Ariel asked.

Eric sighed. He knew she wasn't going to take this well, but he also knew he had to tell her.

"They don't only want to use my ship," he started. "They want me to help them."

"In what way?" Ariel asked.

"They want me to man one of the ships."

"What?" Ariel exclaimed. "You can't go out there! It's dangerous! What if something…" Her voice trailed off as Eric put a hand on her shoulder.

"Ariel, calm down. I haven't decided anything yet." He told her.

"What's there to decide?" She countered. "Tell them no. Daniel will understand."

"it's not Daniel I'm worried about." He said.

"Did Blackstone threaten you?" Ariel asked.

Eric hesitated slightly.

"Eric, please. We can't keep anything from each other."

"Sort of." Eric admitted.

"Maybe I can get Daddy to stall them. He hates pirates as much as we do."

"We'll be fine." He insisted.

"Eric, how can you say that?"

"Ariel, I haven't decided yet. So, please, just relax."

"Relax? You expect me to relax? Someone comes into our home and threatens you and you expect me to relax?"

"Girl, as much as I love you, I tink Eric is right." Sebastian said as he entered the room.

"What?" They both said in unison.

"Just what I said. Ariel, dere's no use getting all upset for no reason. Eric hasn't even said if he's going or not."

Ariel sighed. She tried her best, but it was hard.

That night at dinner, Ariel tried to act normal. She treated Melody like always and tried to engage herself in a conversation with Alana.

But the even the slightly older mermaid could tell something was wrong.

"Ariel, are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Why?"

Alana shrugged.

"You just seem a little distracted."

"Mommy, can I have some more juice? Please?" Melody asked from her high chair.

"Okay." With that, she got up to get it.

Getting Melody some more apple juice, she set the cup on the counter before getting out a spice she often used in her own.

As she went to pour some into her daughter's sippy cup, Sebastian stopped her.

"Ariel, what are you doing? Have you gone nuts, girl?"

"No." Ariel said. She then realized what Sebastian was talking about.

"Oops. Sorry, Mel. Here." With that, she gave the drink to her daughter and went to sit back down.

After dinner was over, Ariel let Melody play with Alana for a little bit before tucking her in bed for the night.

"I remember that, I remember music. And I remember love." She finished as she patted Melody's shoulder. "I love you, Melody. Sweet dreams." With that, Ariel left the room.

As she did so, she caught sight of the cot that sat near the window.

She made a mental note to remove it the next day. It took up unnecessary room.

"You're a great mother." Alana told her.

"Thanks. Are you sure you want to leave for Aquata's tonight?" She asked. "You could stay here."

"It's okay." Alana told her. "Antonio doesn't mind picking me up."

"I think he just wants an excuse to go by the toy store to check out those scooters." She said. "He's been wanting to get one for Cadence just so he can prove to Aquata that he can put it together."

Alana giggled.

"You're probably right. But yeah. And I'll see you before I leave." She promised. "We're coming over for that party before I Leave. Remember?"

"OH yeah. I forgot about it for a minute."

Ariel and Eric were planning on throwing a barbecue for Alana's send off.

"All right." Ariel said. "I'll see you later. I love you."

"Love you too." Alana told her.

They embraced and Ariel waited with her sister until Antonio came for her.

Once Alana was safely in his care, Ariel went to find Eric.

She found him in their bedroom, sitting by the window.

"Hey." She said softly. "Alana just left and Melody's fast asleep. So I thought maybe we could spend some time together."

Eric grinned.

"That sounds nice." He said.

Before Ariel knew it, she was snuggled underneath the covers, her head laying against her husband's shoulder.

His hands were gently running through her long red hair and the smell of his cologne made her feel safe.

"So did Alana have fun?" Eric asked as he kissed her cheek.

"Yeah. I think she did. Melody may have tired her out."

"She's getting so big." Eric said fondly.

"Speaking of that," Ariel started. "Where do you think we could buy her a big girl bed?"

"Well, Daniel knows this person who makes them for a decent price."

Ariel nodded.

"Daniel seems to know a lot of people. She commented off handedly.

"Ariel." He admonished slightly.

"What? He does."

"Well, he's got a lot of connections."

"I saw some of those connections today." Ariel muttered.

"Ariel, he's not involved with pirates." Eric said in his friend's defense.

"I know he's not personally involved." Ariel said.

A few minutes of silence passed before Ariel took the plunge.

"So, have you made a decision yet?"  
"About what?" He asked.

"Eric…"

"Okay, okay." He said. "Yes I have."

"And…?"

"I have to do this." He said.

"Eric, you can't do this." Ariel said. "There are other ways of protecting us."

"Like what?" Eric asked.

"Daddy could help us." She said again.

"We don't need his help right now." Eric said stubbornly. "I know he's willing to help, but I can handle this."

"By going out there and possibly getting killed?" Ariel asked.

"No!" Eric shouted defensively. "Do you think I want to do this?"

"Well you're certainly not coming up with any other options." Ariel shot back.

"What do you want me to do? Tell them no?"

"Yes! That's exactly what I want you to do."

"Well, I'm sorry." He said, softening a little. "But I can't."

"Can't?" Ariel asked. "Or won't."

"Ariel.." Eric said as he heard the tears in her voice. "Please…" He put a hand on her shoulder and was surprised when she jerked away.

She got up from the bed and left the room.

"Ariel!" Eric called after her.

She didn't stop until she reached Melody's bedroom.

Not thinking clearly, she slammed the door before flopping down on the cot in tears.

The sound affectively woke Melody up.

"Mommy?" She asked softly.

Ariel got up and walked over to her daughter's crib.

Putting a hand on her shoulder, she tried to get her to lay back down.

"Shh, Melody, it's okay. Try and go back to sleep. Everything's okay now."

"Why are you crying?" Melody asked.

"I'm fine." Ariel said. "I'll be okay. I love you, sweetheart. Just lay back down for me, okay?"

Melody did so only after she gave Ariel a hug.

"That's my girl." Ariel said as Melody laid back down. "I'll sing you one song and then it's bedtime."

Melody nodded.

As Ariel finished singing "Daring to Dance," Melody was almost fast asleep again.

As for Ariel, she didn't get much sleep that night. She lay awake thinking about her fight with Eric and what the coming days would bring.

She had never fought with her husband before this and she hoped they would be okay again soon.

As she lay there, she thought back on the days before she knew anything about Humans and the lives they led. She remembered how she used to sing "Part of Your World" and wondered how they lived.

Back then she didn't believe that Humans were capable of having arguments with one another. Now she was seeing first hand how untrue that was.

She only prayed Eric knew how much she loved him, even though he was being really stubborn.

Before Ariel knew it, she had fallen into a restless sleep…


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT own any of the chars from TLM. They belong to Disney. I do however own Melody Noelle Coralsen and any other characters you don't recognize.

God loves you!  
Enjoy!

A/N: Sorry for the wait with this story! Here's the next chapter! I hope everyone likes it!

"A House Divided"

Chapter 3

The next morning, Melody awoke to find her mother sleeping in the corner of her room.  
Not wanting to wake her up, Melody waited for as long as she could before making her escape.

Making sure to make as little noise as possible, the little girl gripped the side of the crib and swung her legs over the side. Once she had a good grip, she let go and jumped to the floor.

Ariel's eyes opened at the sound. She sat up and cleared her throat before addressing her daughter.

"Melody Noelle…" Ariel said sternly.

"Uh-oh." Melody said softly.

"Come here right now." She said firmly.

Melody did so. She recognized the tone in Ariel's voice and knew not to mess with it.

"What did Mommy tell you about getting out of your crib?"

Melody thought for a minute.

"Don't do it." She said.

"That's right." Ariel told her. "Then why did you?"

Melody frowned.

"You were sleeping." She said.

"Why didn't you just call me?" She asked.

Melody frowned.

"I didn't want to wake you up." She explained.

"It doesn't matter. You should always wake me up if you wanna get out."

"I'm sorry." She said as her lower lip started to quiver.

The sight of her daughter about to burst into tears made Ariel realize what she had done.

"No, Mel, Mommy's the one whose sorry."

"You didn't do nothing." She said.

"Anything." Ariel corrected gently. "Come here."

Melody did so and was rewarded with Ariel pulling her in for a hug.

"You still did something wrong. " Ariel explained more gently then before. "Do you understand that?"

Melody thought for a minute and nodded.

"I didn't listen." She said.

"That's right. And you need to be punished." With that, she led Melody over to a chair she used when she made pictures and sat her down.

"You need to stay here for a few minutes." She told her. "I'll stay with you for the first time. You can't move until I come and get you." She explained.

Melody nodded as the tears from earlier burst forth.

As much as Ariel wanted to hold her, she knew she couldn't right now.

Just then, Sebastian came into the room.

"Good morning, girl. It's a beautiful day out dere. What's going on?" He asked when he saw Melody sitting in the chair crying.

"I had to put Melody on her first time out." Ariel told him.

"What did she do?" He asked.

"She jumped down from her crib again." She answered.

Sebastian nodded. He left the room shortly after to get something to eat.

When five minutes was up, Ariel went to take Melody off of time out.

Kneeling down in front of her daughter, she made sure she had her attention before continuing to speak.

"Melody?" She began. "We need to talk. Look at me." She commanded gently.

Melody did so. Her eyes were full of tears and a little confusion.

"Sweetheart, do you know why I put you on time out?" She asked.

"Cause I didn't listen." She said.

"Yes." Ariel replied. "Mel, when Daddy and I tell you to do something or not to do something, it's because we love you. We wanna keep you safe and we don't want anything happening to you. Will you try and listen to me from now on?"

Melody nodded.

"Yes." She said.

"Aw, that's my girl. And as for this getting out of your crib on your own, you have to try to stop doing that too."

"Okay." Melody consented.

"Good. Now, come on. I think Auntie Carlotta made pancakes." With that, she picked Melody up and carried her downstairs.

Meanwhile, Eric was sitting on the balcony, staring out at the ocean. He was sure Ariel had spent the night in Melody's room. This meant she was safe, but he still wished they wouldn't have fought.

As he sat there, he heard someone address him from below.

"Dere you are, mun. I've been looking all over de palace for you."

"Hey Sebastian." Eric said when he realized who it was. Then with a note of hope in his voice he asked, "Did Ariel send you?"

"No. I' came on my own. I saw Ariel in de kitchen. She's eating breakfast with Melody and Carlotta. Do you know she put Melody on time out?"

"No." Eric said. "But if she did, she must have had a good reason. Melody's generally a good girl."

Sebastian nodded.

"What happened last night?" The crab asked.

"Didn't Ariel tell you?"

"Nope." Sebastian said. "I don't know anyting dat went on here last night. Care to fill me in?"

Eric sighed as he started to explain.

"This Captain came and asked for my help. And he got Ariel more than a little upset with me."

"Are you crazy, mun? We rescued you from pirates once before. I don't care to repeat de experience."

"I know, I know, the storm."

"No mun. Before dat."

"What do you mean?"

"Ariel will probably crack me for telling you, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

"So…that was Ariel I saw?"

"Yup." The crab replied after he was finished his tale.

"I thought I was seeing things." He confessed.

"No mun. You were seeing your true love for de first time."

"I'm not so sure about that anymore." He said.

"Aw, don't worry about Ariel. She still loves you. She sticks to de people she loves like barnacles stick to whales."

"So do you think I should go try and talk to her?" He asked.

"Not right now." He advised. "Just leave her be for awhile. She'll come to you when she's ready."

"She's that angry, huh?"

"Mun, you have no idea."

Meanwhile, back in the house, Ariel was telling Aquata what had happened. She had phoned her sister after Melody was occupied with some toys.

"I don't know what Eric was thinking." Ariel fumed to her sibling. "It's like he doesn't even care he could get killed out there."

"Ariel, calm down." Aquata soothed. "Eric's a smart guy. HE married you after all."

"I'm not so sure about that." Ariel said referring to the smart comment.

"Ariel," Aquata said gently. "If you wanna come over for a little bit, you're more than welcome to. But I want you to try and work things out. Think of Melody. This can't be easy on her."

"She doesn't know what's going on." Ariel told her. "I snapped at her today and I felt terrible."

"You're a wonderful mother." Aquata assured her. "But you're gonna make mistakes. I've made more than my share with Cadence. But she still knows I love her."

"That's different." Ariel insisted. "Cadence is almost nine. She understands more than Melody does."

"Still." Aquata said. "Melody will be okay. Now, get ready and I'll be waiting for you with a pitcher of iced tea and some ice cream."

"Thanks." Ariel replied gratefully. "But I don't even think a gallon of rocky road could fix this."

"You haven't tasted it made by Antonio yet."

"Is there anything that guy can't do?" Ariel asked.

"Parallel park." Aquata said.

"Well, I can top that one. I can't even drive yet."

"You'll learn in time." Aquata assured her. "Besides, let's just say as many times as he's taken the test, Cadence has memorized the Manual."

"Oh my." Ariel said with a giggle. "All right, I'll see you in an hour. Love ya."

"Love you too." Aquata told her. "Oh and one more thing."

"Yes?"

"I have a surprise for Melody."

"It better not be what I think it is."

"Don't worry." Aquata said. "It's house trained." With that, the two hung up.

"Mommy, I'm bored!" Melody announced a few minutes later.

"How would you like to go visit your Aunt Aquata for a while? She said she has a surprise for you."

Melody nodded vigorously.

After Ariel got her ready, she poked her head outside to tell Eric where she was going.

"I'll be back." She said shortly. "I'm going to visit Aquata for a while. I'm gonna take Melody with me."

"Okay." Eric said.

"Sebastian, you wanna come?"

"No tanks, girl. Eric and I are bonding."

Ariel raised her eyebrows.

"Okay. Have fun bonding." With that, she left.

"Mommy, what's bonding?" Melody asked as they left the house.

Arriving at Aquata's, Ariel was met by the sound of a waterfall.

This meant Antonio had turned on the pool.

Melody ran for her uncle while Ariel went to find Aquata.

Getting into the kitchen, she found her sister putting some ice cream into two bowls.

"You don't waste any time, do you?" Ariel asked.

"I heard you and Melody come in." She said as she placed the bowls on the counter.

Ariel nodded as she sat down.

"Melody's spending time with your husband. "I just hope he doesn't get her too riled up."

"Oh don't worry. He will." She assured her.

"Great." Ariel replied. "Just what I need when she's starting to fight me during naptime."

"Cadence did that until she was three." Aquata informed her sister. "So look on the bright side. You only have two months to go."

Just then, Melody ran into the room carrying something in her hands.

"Mommy! Mommy! Look! Look what Uncle Toni and I found."

Ariel glanced down at what her daughter was holding.

"That's an interesting…Huh!" Ariel gasped as the thing moved and then let out a croak.

Aquata glared at the door.

"Antonio Jacob!" She yelled.

"Yes, dear?" Antonio said as he came into the room.

"Were you trying to fish for frogs again?"

"No. Why?"

Aquata indicated the frog in her niece's hand.

"Oh there you are." He said as he plucked it from Melody's grasp. "I was wondering where you got off to, Wilbur."

"Wilbur?" Ariel asked.

"Daddy names them all." Cadence said as she joined them. She turned to her father. "Dad, I found Victor in the couch cushions."

Aquata glared at him.

"If I find anymore of your friends around here, you'll be sleeping on the couch."

Ariel couldn't help it and burst out giggling.

"What's so funny?" Aquata demanded.

"The look on your husband's face." She replied. "Come on, Mel. Let's wash your hands." With that, she led her daughter over to the sink.

Once the frog fiasco was over, Aquata sat back down at the kitchen table.

"That husband of mine…" She said shaking her head. "Sometimes I feel like I have two kids."

Ariel grinned.

"Antonio's a good guy." She said.

"And so is Eric." Aquata pointed out.

Ariel felt as though she had been electrocuted. She had been trying so hard to avoid the subject all day and now Aquata was bringing it up.

"Do we have to talk about this now?" She asked.

"If we don't talk about it now, you'll just keep putting it off." Aquata reasoned.

"NO I won't. " Ariel said childishly.

"Yes you will." Aquata insisted.

"No I won't."

Aquata smiled at her.

"Ariel, you're my baby sister. I've known you since you were born. I know you love him. You wouldn't have come over here if you didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you're over here so you don't say anything you'll regret. That means you still love him."

"I guess. I wish Andrina was here." She said wistfully.

"Andrina would tell you the exact same thing I'm telling you."

"You are not going to play that game with my niece here." They heard Alana say rather sternly.

"What's he doing now?" Aquata called.

"Nothing, honey!" Antonio shouted back. "Your sister's just not in the poker spirit.. That's all."

"What's wrong with poker?" Ariel asked.

"Do you even know what poker is, little sister?"

"No."

"Let's just say it's not a game for Melody to learn."

"Fine, fine." Antonio said resignedly. "We'll play Go Fish."

"Go fish for what?" Ariel asked.

"It's a card game, Aunt Ariel." Cadence told her. "You don't use fish."

"Well thank goodness for that." Ariel said with a sigh of relief.

While the three kids played in the living room, Ariel and Aquata chatted in the kitchen.

"You have to admit," Aquata started, "if he didn't love you, he wouldn't be trying to protect you right now."

"But does he have to do it this way?"

Aquata smiled gently at her.

"You probably don't remember this," she said. "But you were a hard one to protect when you were Melody's age."

"I was?"

"Yes you were."

"Let me guess." Ariel said. 'I gave Daddy a lot of trouble."

"No. You gave me a lot of trouble."

"You?"

"Uh-huh." Aquata said.

"Is that why you didn't go to your senior prom?"

"No." Aquata said. "My date came down with squid pox at the last minute."

"You know something." Aquata said offhandedly.

"What?" Ariel asked.

"That time in seventh tide when I got beached from going to that Minos concert. I know I didn't say it then, but I had a lot more fun with you."

"You got beached?" Ariel asked in surprise. "I thought you volunteered to stay home with me."

"I thought you never got beached." Ariel said.

"Well, hardly ever." Aquata amended. "Not like you, Ariel. Every time I turned my back, you were in trouble."

"Yeah. Well, I guess I was a wild one."

"Yeah. But you showed us all in the end."

"Who showed who in the end?" Alana asked as she sat down next to Ariel on her right.

"This one here." Aquata said smiling at her fondly. "So, do I wanna know what the kids are up to?"  
"Antonio's reading them a story." Alana reported.

"That sounds tame enough." Aquata said.

"Uh, the last time I checked, they were on chapter 2 of one thousand and one true ghost stories."

"Oh no." Ariel said with a groan.

"We're gonna have a lot of fun getting our daughters to sleep tonight." Aquata commented.

"Should I go in and break it up?" Ariel asked.

"Nah. Let him have his fun." Aquata said. "Then he can be the one to put Cadence back to bed if she wakes up from a nightmare."

"I like it. " Alana said with a grin. With that, the three sisters continued to reminisce about old times…


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the chars from TLM. They belong to Disney. I do however own anyone you don't recognize. I also own Andrina's special name for Ariel.

God loves you  
Enjoy!

A/N: This story came to me last night and I had to write it out! I hope everyone likes it! Again, I'm using the Kenneth Mars version of Triton for this, along with the sisters' personalities from the TV Series.

"Sister or Mother"

Fifteen-year-old Aquata sighed as she watched her younger sisters playing in the rec room.

She knew it was only a matter of time before Arista, who had just turned nine, started with their now three-year-old sister, Ariel.

It had been like this even when their mother, Athena had been alive.

But it seemed Arista was picking on Ariel even more now that she was gone.

It was true that Ariel was a good girl most of the time and rarely gave their father, King Triton, or Aquata herself any problems.

But like all toddlers, there were times when she tried to push the boundaries.

As Ariel contentedly played with a few of her favorite toys, which consisted of a plush seal and two dolls, Aquata grinned at her. She was a cute one.

Just then, Sebastian swam into the room to announce it was lunchtime.

As he entered, he accidentally got caught in one of Adella's sea scooter wheels.

As the crab went rolling across the floor, Ariel couldn't help it and burst into a fit of giggles.

Aquata was about to remind her that laughing at friends wasn't nice, but found herself trying to hold back her own laughter at the sight.

Once Sebastian had been extracted from the runaway ride by Aquata, he glared at Adella before delivering the message he had come to give them.

"Your fada wants all of you in the dining room for lunch. He said he has a big surprise for everyone."

Aquata tried to act excited for Ariel's benefit. She knew how much her little sister loved surprises.

"Daddy has a surprise for us?" Ariel asked excitedly as Aquata lifted her into her arms and carried her towards the dining room.

"Uh-huh." Aquata confirmed. "Let's go see what it is." With that, she led the way downstairs.

Getting to the dining room, Aquata set Ariel in her booster seat and sat next to her.

Andrina took her place across from Ariel and started making silly faces to get her to giggle. She and Ariel were really close, even though they were eight years apart.

As Ariel went to reach for something on the table, Andrina shook her head.

"No, El." She said, using her special name for Ariel. "You need to wait a little bit."

Ariel reluctantly withdrew her hand. She almost always listened to Andrina.

"Good girl. " Andrina praised her. "Wanna play the insy-winsy spider fish?"

Ariel smiled. She loved that game a lot.

"Yeah!" She agreed happily.

"All right. But you have to pay attention to me and remember, indoor voice in the dining room." Andrina reminded her gently.

"Okay." Ariel agreed before trying to settle down.

Aquata threw Andrina a grateful look. Sometimes Andrina handled Ariel better than she did.

The insy-winsy spider fish game kept Ariel occupied for the next ten minutes.

It wasn't until Triton entered the room that disaster struck.

Andrina had just gotten to the end of the song for the third time, when Arista reached over and pulled a lock of Ariel's red hair.

"Ow!" Ariel cried out before the tears started to flow.

As she let out a painful wail, Andrina was at her little sister's side in a flash.

She took Ariel out of her seat and cuddled her close while swimming back to her own seat. She would put her back in her booster seat once she had calmed her down.

While Andrina took care of Ariel, Aquata concentrated on Arista.

Aquata glared at her. She knew it was only a matter of time.

"Arista, why did you do that to Ariel?" Aquata demanded. "She didn't do anything to you. She was minding her own business and being very good. Which is more than I can say for you."

Arista shrugged.

"I was bored. " She replied. "Besides, the insy-winsy spider fish is stupid."

Aquata ignored her sister's last statement.

"Arista, that's no excuse to pick on Ariel or hurt her. After dinner, you're gonna spend some time in your room."

"You can't tell me what to do!" Arista shot back.

"Arista," Triton addressed suddenly, making Aquata jump a little. "After dinner, you're to go to your room for ten minutes and then you're to apologize to Ariel."

"Yes, Daddy." Arista said with a frown.

Triton nodded.

"All right, El, here we go. " Andrina said as she placed her little sister back in her booster seat.

Ariel frowned, although she had stopped crying a few minutes ago.

"It's okay." Andrina assured her. "I'll be right across from you like before. " She then whispered, "I'll protect you from Arista."

Ariel nodded. She gave Andrina a small smile and blew her a kiss as she watched her swim back to her seat.

"Thank you, Andrina." Triton said as he smiled around at his family.

He winked kindly at Ariel, who giggled at her father's actions.

Once the food was served and everyone was enjoying their meal, Triton decided to make his announcement.

"I have a surprise for everyone." He said.

This got everyone's attention.

Arista stopped blowing bubbles in her milk. As for Aadella, she stopped trying to steal the last of Attina's squid fries and Andrina stopped mid way in the middle of playing another round of the insy-winsy spider fish with Ariel.

All seven mer-princesses gave their father their full attention.

Triton smiled around at them all.

He knew they had all had a tough six months since their mother had died.

He thought a vacation would do them all some good.

"What's the surprise, Daddy?" Ariel asked eagerly. "Are we gonna ride in the cariot?"

"It's chariot, stupid!" Arista corrected none too nicely.

Ariel ignored her as she gazed at her father with curiosity in her blue eyes.

Triton glared at Arista before answering his youngest's question.

"Well, I'm taking you and your sisters on a little trip." He replied. "We'll be leaving this Saturday and returning in a week."

"Where are we going?" Was Andrina's question.

The others asked similar questions.

As for Ariel, she stayed silent. She was excited to hear what her father's answer would be.

Once the girls had quieted down, Triton answered their questions.

"We're going to visit Aunt Florence in her palace up South." He answered.

Aquata and Andrina were excited about the trip, but the younger ones seemed to be in deep thought.

Ariel, especially. She had never been to see this person who her father called Florence before and she was excited to see some place new.

That night, Ariel had trouble sleeping. It wasn't for lack of trying either. Her mind was too focused on the upcoming trip with her family to the great south. She was excited to see what new adventures awaited her there.

Andrina had to sing their mother's lullaby to her two extra times for her to drift off to sleep.

On the morning of the trip, Ariel awoke early due to being so excited.

Andrina was up with her because she didn't want her waking up the entire palace.

She managed to keep Ariel occupied with two rounds of the insy-winsy spider fish, followed by a game of Do as I'm Doing, which was a take on follow the leader.

Finally, she read her a few stories.

Just as she was finishing up "If You Give a Whale a Waffle," their other sisters started to awaken.

Aquata was the first one up.

She grinned when she saw Ariel sitting contentedly in Andrina's lap, sucking her thumb and listening to her read her a story.

"How long has she been up?" Aquata asked, referring to their youngest sister.

She planted a kiss on Ariel's cheek and put a hand through her hair.

"An hour or so before dawn break." Andrina replied.

Seeing her eldest sister, Ariel took her thumb out of her mouth, gazed up at Aquata and asked, "Can we go yet?"

"Not yet, you silly girl!" Aquata said as she bent down and tickled Ariel's tummy. "Daddy's not even ready to leave yet."

"I wanna see Daddy." Ariel declared.

She was about to swim off, when Andrina stopped her.

"Wait a minute, El. We'll see Daddy soon." She told her patiently. "He's probably getting ready for the trip too."

Ariel frowned, but decided to go along with it today. She was in a good mood, so listening wasn't hard to do.

Aquata mouthed 'thank you to Andrina before going to wake up the others.

By the time the family was ready to leave, Adella had thrown two temper tantrums and Arista had managed to get a telling off from Aquata for mouthing off to her.

As for Ariel, she was starting to get tired.

She rubbed at her eyes while trying to get comfortable in Andrina's embrace. She was also starting to whine, which was a clear sign she was ready for a nap.

While Andrina sung her their mother's lullaby, Aquata dealt with Arista.

As for the others, Attina was busy staring out the window while Alana colored in a coloring book and Adella played with a mini scooter she had brought along.

Ariel fell asleep a short time later while Aquata managed to get Arista and Alana to play a quiet game together.

Just when it looked like everyone was settled, Arista complained that Adella was hogging all the room on her side of the chariot and Ariel awoke crying and informed Andrina that her tummy hurt.

After Andrina got Ariel to drink some juice that always settled her stomach on long chariot rides, she sung her back to sleep while Aquata and Attina were able to settle the argument between Arista and Adella.

When they finally arrived at Florence's palace, most of the mer-princesses had fallen asleep.

Andrina and Aquata were the only ones awake.

Florence came out to greet the family. She brought along a few servants to carry their luggage into the palace.

Florence was a mermaid in her mid-forties. She had brown hair that was graying a little and kind, green eyes.

"Triton, it's so good to see you again!" She exclaimed while embracing her old friend. "And your daughters have gotten so big."

Triton beamed at his girls as Florence began to fuss over them.

When she got to Ariel, the youngest was just waking up. She was still hurting and she had it in her mind that she wanted her father.

As she opened her eyes fully, she relaxed when she realized she was still with Andrina.

"This can't be Ariel." Florence said as she smiled down at the three-year-old. "She's too big."

Ariel wasn't in the mood for strangers fussing over her and she made it clear by clinging to Andrina's shoulder and letting out a soft whimper.

"Shh, its okay, El. " Andrina assured her. "I have you."

Ariel calmed at her sister's familiar voice, but she was still in pain.

"Aw, is someone a little cranky?" Florence cooed at Triton's youngest.

"It was a long trip. " Triton said in Ariel's defense. "And my little shining pearl was so excited, she woke up early."

Florence laughed softly.

"I'll hold her later." She said. "Come in, all of you, come in. I have fresh seaweed cookies and milk for the girls and some delightful pastries for you."

This got everyone moving.

They entered Florence's palace and followed her into the dining room.

Once there, she had a servant Octopus bring out some snacks and drinks on a tray.

"Does Ariel like cookies?" Florence asked.

"Oh my, yes." Triton said.

Florence nodded. She swam over to the youngest mermaid who was still in her older sister's arms and extended a cookie out to her.

"Ariel, would you like a cookie?" She asked.

Ariel shook her head before burying her face in Andrina's shoulder once again.

"She's not fond of strangers." Triton explained.

Florence didn't seem to hear him as she tried yet again to get Ariel to take the snack.

"Oh everyone likes my cookies." She insisted. "Here you go." She said, referring to Ariel. "It's a cookie just for you."

Having about enough of this, Ariel pushed Florence's hand away before bursting into tears.

She uttered one word through her sobs, making her point perfectly clear.

"Daddy!"

"Oh my poor Ariel. " Triton cooed as he swam over to where Andrina was sitting and took his youngest into his arms. "What happened? Did Florence give my little Ariel a fright?"

From his left, Sebastian commented, "She gives everyone a fright."

Triton ignored him.

However, Andrina giggled at the crab's statement.

Once Ariel was in her father's arms, she started calming down. She was still crying, but not as hard as before.

"Aw, there you go. " Triton said softly. "That's my little Ariel."

Once Ariel was calm, Triton turned his attention back to Florence.

While the King and his old friend chatted, Sebastian tried to get Ariel to giggle. He had always been able to make her laugh in the past.

But so far, Sebastian wasn't having any success. He found this strange and started to get worried for his friend. He cared for Ariel very much and he didn't like to see her sad. He loved all of Triton's daughters, but he had a special spot in his heart for the youngest.

"Ariel," Sebastian said in an attempt to get her attention. "Watch dis." With that, he started playing around, hoping it would get her to giggle.

She managed to crack a smile, but that was all.

As Ariel felt her father hug her close, she closed her eyes and tried her best to drift off to sleep.

Sebastian frowned at his friend in concern. He had a feeling something was wrong.

Ariel awoke a few hours later to the sound of Aquata scolding someone as well as the feeling of Andrina's hand combing through her hair.

The familiar motion was enough to keep her calm as she woke up.

"Hey El." Andrina said softly. "You're awake. Is your tummy feeling better?"

Ariel was about to say yes, when she felt the pain again.

She shook her head as the tears started anew.

Putting her thumb in her mouth, she reached her free arm out to Andrina.

Andrina sighed as she shook her head.

"It's time to go night-night now." She explained patiently. "I'll pat you, but I can't hold you."

Aquata, overhearing Andrina's words, decided to intervene.

"Is her stomach still hurting her?" Aquata asked in concern.

"Yeah." Andrina replied.

"You can hold her." Aquata told her. "When she's sick, it's different."

Andrina nodded.

Lifting Ariel out of her temporary big girl bed, she set her in her lap.

Once the three-year-old was as comfortable as she could get for the moment, Andrina started singing her their mother's lullaby in hopes it would help Ariel drift back to sleep.

It almost worked, until Ariel threw up a few minutes later.

She was crying from pain now and she also felt hot.

"I'll get Father." Aquata said as she swam out of the room. She turned back as she swam through the doorway and glared at Adella. "Don't move." She said sternly. With that, she was gone.

"Shh, its okay, Ariel. It's okay." Andrina soothed.

"My tummy hurts!" Ariel whimpered against her sister's shoulder. "I want Daddy!"

"Aquata's gone to get him. " Andrina assured her. With that, she started singing the insy-winsy spider fish softly in an attempt to distract Ariel from what was going on.

Aquata returned with their father shortly afterwards.

While Triton tended to his youngest, Aquata took Adella off time out and had a long talk with her about what not to do with her toys as well as about sharing.

Meanwhile, Triton was examining his youngest.

He felt Ariel's forehead and frowned when he discovered how warm she was.

"Daddy, I feel yucky!" Ariel whimpered as more tears came.

"I know you do, my Ariel. Can you tell me what hurts?" He asked. He knew Ariel was feeling bad, but he always encouraged his daughters to use their words.

"My tummy!" Ariel cried while reaching her arms up to him.

Triton's heart was breaking for his youngest, but he couldn't hold her just yet.

"I'll be right back." He said more to Andrina.

Andrina nodded.

The moment he left the room, Ariel burst into tears. This night was not going well for her at all.

She wasn't feeling good, she was in a strange place and now her father was ignoring her, at least that's how she saw it.

"Shh, it's all right, Ariel." Andrina assured her. "Daddy will be back."

"I want Daddy!" Ariel cried into Andrina's shoulder. "I want Daddy!"

"He'll be back." Andrina repeated soothingly.

Triton returned a few minutes later and set to work trying to help Ariel feel better.

Andrina helped out, since Ariel was more keen on having her father hold her than actually cooperating at the moment.

Triton obliged his youngest and let Andrina help him take care of her.

While Aquata cleaned up the mess, Andrina got Ariel a bucket from the bathroom and brought it back. She also brought her a cup of water and her favorite plush seal.

Triton thanked his second eldest as he sat down in a chair with Ariel in his lap.

Andrina kissed Ariel's cheek and started stroking her hair comfortingly. She hated seeing Ariel in pain or upset and she wanted her to feel better. She really wanted Ariel to have fun while they were here, but she knew that wouldn't happen unless her sister's stomachache went away.

But in order for that to happen, Andrina knew they all had to help out. She was determined to do her part to help Ariel feel better. She only prayed it would happen sooner rather than later.


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT own any of the chars from TLM. They belong to Disney. I do however own Melody Noelle Coralsen and any other characters you don't recognize.

God loves you!  
Enjoy!

A/N: I've decided to post one more chapter since I made everyone wait so long for the last one! I hope everyone likes it!

"A House Divided"

Chapter 5

Getting into the kitchen, they found Aquata putting some fruit salad into three bowls.

"Isn't it a little late for a snack?" Alana asked.

"Well, I thought you might need it." Aquata said.

"Thank you" Her two younger sisters said in unison.

"I hope she still likes me in the morning." Alana said referring to Melody.

Ariel almost choked on the peach she had just bitten into.

"Alana, don't be silly. Melody loves you. She just was scared and she wanted me. She's always been like that. And I've always been there for her. Until tonight." She said as her voice trailed off.

"Ariel, don't be so hard on yourself." Aquata comforted. "You're a wonderful mother. I can't be there for Cadence all the time, but she knows I still love her."

Ariel nodded.

"I know, it's silly to think I can be with her all the time," Ariel said, "but this is the first time it's ever happened." At that, her voice began to crack. "I just want Melody to always know there'll be someone there for her just incase…" She drew in a breath, and the tears truly started.

"But you're always there when it matters," Alana comforted. You're a very devoted mother, and Eric's a great father. Ariel's tears just fell harder. Aquata through a quick glance at Alana, telling her silently that while the thought was appreciated, the words were, perhaps, not the best.

"But what," Ariel asked through her sobs. "What if that changes?"

"But why would that change?" Alana asked, puzzled.

"Well, because, because of the way I treated him! I yelled at him last night! I've never yelled at him before!"

"Oh, I know he'll forgive you for that. Eric's a great guy." Aquata offered gently.

"But what if," Ariel brought up the other possibility that had been on her mind almost ever since the argument. "What if he never gets the chance? I mean, the whole reason we fought in the first place was…" With that, she burst into a fresh bout of tears. Fortunately, both Alana and Aquata could guess what she was about to say.

"Oh, Ariel," Alana tried her best to be positive, "it'll be okay. I can't tell you what Eric's final decision will be, but I can tell you that I'm sure he wouldn't take this on if he didn't think he would get through it alright. You and Melody mean too much to him for him to just leave you and never come back."

"Yeah, and Eric seems like a level-headed guy to me," Aquata added in an upbeat tone. "I'm sure he'll make the right decision in the end." Then after a minute she smiled hopefully. "Come on, whatever happened to our ever optimistic baby sister. The one who used to pester us all the time about how there's good in all things, and everyone deserves a chance, and treating the simplest things as if they were priceless treasures!" Ariel gave a small, watery grin.

"I know, I'm sorry," she said with a sniff. "It's just been," one slow tear trickled down her cheek, "such a long day. First Eric, then Melody just now… I'm sorry for carrying on like this; I'm just so tired."

"Ariel, don't apologize!" Aquata insisted. "You've got every right to be tired and upset right now!"

"I do?"

"Well of course you do."

"Ariel, you've got a lot to deal with right now!" Alana added.

"Right," Aquata continued. Now what do you say you get some sleep now, and tomorrow we can talk about what you're gonna do next." Ariel gave a weak smile.

"Alright," she gave a sudden yawn. "That sounds good to me. Good night Aquata," she gave her sister a tight hug. "I love you."

"Oh, I love you too little sister," Aquata said, hugging back. Ariel hugged Alana as well, and then left the kitchen for the guest room next to Melody's. Aquata followed to make sure that Ariel was settled, and to ask if she needed anything else, before heading back to the kitchen to continue talking to Alana.

Meanwhile, while the sisters were talking things over in Aquata's kitchen, back at the palace, Eric was sitting by himself on the balcony where he and Ariel had so often sat and talked things over before.

As he sat staring out at the ocean, he wondered what she was doing at that moment, and hoping she didn't hate him too much.

After a few minutes, his solitude was broken by a friendly voice.

"Oh, Eric, dere you are. I was wondering'," Sebastian's voice trailed off. "Mun, you look sadder dan Lucky the seahorse fole thought he could keep a jellyfish for a pet." He chuckled at the memory. "Oh mun, was he sorry he tried to do dat…" He broke off at the look on Eric's face. "Oh, sorry mun."

"Ariel didn't come home yet," Eric said blankly. "I didn't think she would." He sighed. "I just hope she decides to come home at all, after how stubborn I was."

"Now why wouldn't she decide to come home?" a new voice cut in, "and I probably don't need to tell you that Ariel can be just as stubborn when she sets her mind to it."

"Your majesty!" Sebastian bowed.

"King Triton!" Eric hurried to get to his feet. "What a nice surprise to see you sir!"

"Sit down my boy," Triton said amiably. "I understand you've had quite a rough time of it lately."

Eric sank back down in his chair in relief that Triton didn't seem to blame him for what happened.

But at the same time, trepidation at having to discuss the past two days' events with his father-in-law quickly overtook his senses.

Eric considered asking him how he had known, but Triton beat him to it.

"After Aquata spoke to Ariel on the telephone this morning, Aquata informed me of what was going on. She said Ariel was coming over to see her, and would probably be staying there for some time."

"Did she say how long Ariel would be there?"

"No, she didn't." Eric frowned. "But, if it's any consolation," Triton said with a slight smile, "Aquata did say that she would try to convince Ariel to come home to you as soon as possible."

"That would be nice," Erick said with a sigh. "But I don't know if it's going to happen."

"And why not?" Triton asked.

"Well, she was pretty mad at me. Did Aquata tell you about our argument? I'm sure Ariel must've told her."

"Not the whole thing, out of respect for your privacy, but I got the idea. Ah, pirates. Normally in Atlantica, we wouldn't feel the need to know anything about them. But what with Ariel and Aquata living up here," he gestured vaguely at the land around him, "I've paid attention to the problems that affect the area."

"I understand," said Eric, for the sake of having something to say to that. "So, do you think I'm making the right decision to go with them?" Triton considered the question.

"Tell me this," he said finally. "Do you want to?"

"No, not really. Not at all actually. But they hinted that they might," he hesitated.

"Might what?" Triton asked, though he thought he had an idea of what.

"That they might hurt Ariel and Melody. I can't let that happen! I love them too much for that!"

"I know you do," Triton said gently, although at Eric's last words a rage started building inside him. "You're a good man Eric. I know you only mean to do the right thing."

"Thank you," Eric was glad that Triton had such faith in him. Now if he could only find that same faith in himself. "Now if I only knew what the right thing was."

"Naturally you should do what is best for your family," Triton said wisely, "but you should also do what's best for yourself."

"Myself?" Eric asked in confusion. "But doing the best thing for myself would mean…"

"That Ariel and Melody would still have someone here to take care of them," the sea king finished.

Eric nodded if only to be polite. He didn't want to think about that.

"I never thought in a million years that I'd be married to someone as remarkable as your daughter."

"I could think of a few other words to describe her." Triton said. "Head strung and stubborn come to mind."

"I was thinking along the lines of understanding, compassionate and very hard to say no to."

"Well, that's true also." The king consented.

"You never had a problem saying no to Ariel. " Sebastian interjected. "In fact, you said it to her almost every day."

The king gave him a look.

"Ariel's a very good mother." Eric said.

"I have no doubt." Triton replied. "She was always very good with children back in Atlantica."

"Except when you were one." Sebastian chimed in.

"What? " Eric asked in amazement.

Triton smiled as he began to tell the prince the story….

Meanwhile, Ariel awoke to find she wasn't alone.

She was about to scold her daughter when she remembered where they were.

"Morning, Mel." She greeted. "Are you ready for breakfast?"

Melody nodded. She posed a question to her mother.

"Are we gonna live here now?"

Ariel shook her head.

"No, sweetheart. Of course not. What would make you say that?"

Melody shrugged.

"Auntie Lana said you were mad at Daddy."

"I see. I think I'm gonna have to have a talk with Auntie Lana."

"Are you gonna put her on time out?"

"You know something. I just might." With that, she scooped her daughter up and started tickling her.

After they both had calmed down, Ariel got Melody ready for the day and took her downstairs.

Upon arriving in the kitchen, she found Alana sipping coffee and staring at the French toast on her plate as though it had two heads.

"You're supposed to eat it!" Melody instructed her as Arial set her down.

Alana smiled at her niece.

"Thanks for reminding me." She said.

"Alana, can we talk?" Ariel asked.

"Sure. About what?"

Ariel shook her head.

"Not here." With that, she set Melody in a chair and instructed her not to move until either she returned or Aquata came downstairs.

Getting into the living room, Ariel veered Alana into a side laundry room when she discovered Antonio and Cadence playing some type of game.

"What is it?" Alana asked after Ariel closed the door.

"You need to be more careful where you and Aquata have your little chats."

"What do you mean?" Alana asked. "Cadence wasn't eaves dropping.

"No. But Melody heard you. She asked me if we were gonna live here now."

"I was thinking that myself." Alana admitted. "Ariel, you're gonna have to go back and work things out sooner or later. You do know that right?"

Ariel sighed.

"I know. But I'm…I'm just afraid."

"Of what?" She asked.

Ariel shook her head as she tried to fight back tears.

"I'm afraid Eric won't forgive me."

"We went over this last night. Of course he'll forgive you. He loves you. He killed Ursula for you."

"Actually, the boat did that." Ariel said getting technical.

"But it was his boat."

'Yeah, but…never mind. " Ariel said with a soft laugh. "But in the future, please try to keep your talks with Aquata private."

"Sure." She said.

"Thanks." With that, Ariel followed Alana back to the kitchen.

They returned to find Melody right where Ariel had left her.

While Ariel went to the fridge to get something for her to drink, Alana went over and sat back down.

It was only when she looked up, did she notice Melody was crying.

"Hey, kiddo. " Alana said as she caught sight of her tears. "What's wrong?" Then thinking she missed Ariel she added, "Your Mommy's over there. See?"

Melody nodded, but she made no moves to look in Ariel's direction.

"Alana, what's wrong?" Ariel asked as she came over and set a plate of French toast and potatoes next to Alana's place.

"I'm not sure." Alana said. "Melody's upset, but she won't tell me why."

Just then, they heard a triumphant yell come from the den.

"Yes! Two thousand four hundred! See if you can beat that." Cadence challenged.

"It'll be my pleasure." Antonio replied.

"Breakfast's ready." Aquata told them.

"All right, honey. We'll be right there." Antonio said without looking away.

Ariel tried not to giggle at the exchange as she shortened the distance between her daughter and herself.

Before she could ask what was wrong, Aquata came in shaking her head.

"I see you two found the French toast."

"Hmm. It's really good too. " Alana said as she swallowed.

"Good thing you're not picking up any eating habits from Auntie Alana." Aquata said.

Alana shot her a glare.

"Does Melody want some?" Aquata asked.

"She'll eat some. " Arial said. "It's her favorite."

Ariel turned her attention to her daughter as Aquata got out juice and milk for everyone.

She frowned when she saw the tears coursing down Melody's cheeks.

"Melody, what's wrong?" She asked in concern. Then surprising herself she asked, "Do you miss Daddy?"

Melody nodded.

Alana spoke up.

"Don't feel bad. She didn't tell me either."

"Alana." Ariel said as she turned to her sister. "I'm her mother." Then to Melody she coaxed while holding out her arms, "Come here, Mel." With that, she pulled Melody into her arms and hugged her close.

Sitting down in the chair beside the one Melody had been in, she frowned when she realized what had happened.

"Uh-oh." She said more to herself than to the room at large.

Standing once again, she turned to face Alana and Aquata.

"We'll be right back." She told them. With that, she carried Melody upstairs to the bedroom she had slept in.

No sooner had Ariel and Melody vacated the premises, Antonio and Cadence came in.

"You gotta show me how you did that." Cadence said as she got herself some juice. "It was out of this world!"

Antonio chuckled as he ruffled Cadence's hair.

"I will….Someday. " He added with a wink.

"Daddy!" Cadence playfully whined.

Meanwhile upstairs, Ariel was rummaging through the suitcase she had brought while trying to console Melody at the same time.

"Melody, it's okay. " She assured her. "You're not in trouble. Accidents happen all the time. But why didn't you just go potty yourself? You know where it is here."

"You told me not to move." She answered.

Ariel knelt down in front of the little girl as she placed her new outfit beside her.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. But if that ever happens again, it's okay to get up." With that, she gave Melody a small hug before leading her to the bathroom for a bath.


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT own any of the chars from TLM. They belong to Disney. I do however own Melody Noelle Coralsen and any other characters you don't recognize.

God loves you!  
Enjoy!

A/N: Here it is! The last chapter of the story! I hope everyone has enjoyed it! My best friend Kate and I Really enjoyed writing it!

"A House Divided"

Chapter 6

Once the child was cleaned up and Ariel had helped her change, Melody said simply, "I miss Daddy."

"I know you do." Ariel said. "I promise you, Mel, Mommy's gonna fix this."

"Fix what?" Melody asked.

Ariel shook her head.

"Never mind. Come on now. Let's get back downstairs so you can eat some breakfast."

"Are we going home soon?"

"Pretty soon." Ariel told her.

This got Melody to smile.

Getting downstairs, Ariel got Melody set up with a plate of French toast with potatos and a cup of apple juice.

"There you go." She said. "Eat up now."

Melody nodded, but she didn't dig in right away.

Instead, she reached her hand out for Ariel's.

"What?" She asked, not catching on right away. "I'm still here."

Melody shook her head.

"Pray with me, please?" She requested.

"Sure thing, Mel. " With that, the two thanked God for the food.

Silently, Ariel asked Him for the strength to go home and fix things with her husband. She knew she couldn't do it without His help.

Once Melody had started to eat, Aquata wandered into the room.

"So, is everything okay?" She asked.

"It is now. " Ariel told her.

"What was wrong with Melody?" She asked.

Ariel hesitated slightly.

"I'll tell you in the living room." She said. With that, she made sure Melody was going to be okay before leading Aquata away.

The minute they left, Antonio and Cadence walked in.

Cadence went straight for the stove, which was turned off to get her plate, while Antonio went to the table.

As she was walking back to the table, Cadence watched as her father went to sit in his usual chair.

"Uh, Dad, I wouldn't do that if I were you." She said knowingly.

"What are you talking about, Cae?" He asked. He was the only one who called her that. "I always sit here."

"Believe me, you don't want to sit there today."

"Did you inhale too much of your mother's perfume this morning?"

"No." Cadence replied. "But just trust me, okay."

Antonio shrugged and took the seat on Cadence's left.

"I still don't get what the big deal was." He said as he popped a piece of French toast in his mouth.

Meanwhile, Ariel had just finished filling Aquata in on what had happened earlier concerning Melody.

"Aw, poor kid. " She said.

"She's okay now." Ariel assured her. 'WE talked and she knows she's allowed to get up if that happens again. I'm just sorry she ruined your chair."

Aquata shook her head.

"Don't worry about it." She said. "Antonio doesn't buy expensive things anyway."

Both sisters giggled over that one as Aquata lead the way back to the kitchen.

The minute Melody saw her mother, she grinned.

"Mommy, I'm done eating now. " She said. "Can we go home?"

Ariel smiled despite herself. Her daughter was rather cute.

"In a little while, Mel." She promised.

"I'll make sure of it. " Aquata assured her. With that, she sat down to enjoy a breakfast of her own.

Meanwhile, back at the palace, Eric was pacing back and forth on the balcony.

The King had long since left to take care of some royal business back in Atlantica.

"Mun, will you stop dat?" Sebastian begged. "You're making me dizzy."

"I'm sorry." Eric apologized. "It's just Ariel's never been away for this long before."

"Don't worry about Ariel. She can take care of herself. Her fada learned dat de hard way."

"I know. " Eric said referring to Sebastian's first statement. "I just don't want anything to happen to her. I love her too much."

"I know dat. And so does she."

"I'm not so sure about that after yesterday." He said.

"Trust me when I say Ariel knows you love her."

"Sixteen years ago," he said. "I didn't even know crabs could talk, let alone that there was a whole other world under the sea."

"Well, you learn something new every day. Like I learned never to go in dat kitchen again if Ariel isn't around."

"Or me." Eric added.

"Oh yeah. Sorry, mun. It's just dat well, Ariel's always had me shell. She kept it from getting fried a couple of times. Den again, she was de reason it got fried a couple of times."

"I believe it. " Eric said with a small laugh. "From what she told me, she was no angel fish."

"Oh don't get me wrong. Ariel was as sweet as dey came. But she was also stubborn and if she wanted to do someting, nobody was going to stop her. Whether it was riding a giant seahorse without her fada's permission or going after de person she loved without his permission."

Eric nodded.

"I just hate to think she's out there all alone. I need to know she's okay."

"I'm fine."

Just then, a familiar soft voice interrupted their conversation.

"Ariel." Eric said with a sigh of relief.

He turned around to face her before going silent again. He was relieved to see that she was okay, but he knew they had a lot of talking to do.

"Sebastian, could you do me a favor?" Ariel asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll go baby-sit. Where is she?"

"She's in her room. She's waiting for her uncle to help her put a puzzle together."

"As long as she doesn't try to put me in de puzzle again."

Ariel giggled despite the situation.

"Sebastian, she's a lot older now."

"So what." With that, he was gone.

"I love you!" She called after him.

All she got in response was a few grumbles.

After Sebastian left, Ariel turned her attention to her husband.

Sitting across from him on one of her favorite chairs, Ariel found her gaze drifting to the ocean as she waited to see who would speak first.

"Eric," she began in an attempt to gain his attention. "I'm-" She was interrupted by Eric speaking at almost the exact same time.

"Ariel," he said softly. "I've been thinking about it and if you don't want me to go, then I won't. I'll just tell Daniel I can't take that risk. He can still use my boat." He added.

Ariel sighed. This wasn't what she had expected at all.

"Eric, I don't know what to say." She said. "I know you have a duty to protect the people of this kingdom and your family. I understand why you're doing this. And if it's something you feel you really have to do, then I support you. Just promise me one thing."

"Anything. " He said earnestly.

"Promise me that you'll be careful."

"I will." He said. "I promise."

Ariel nodded.

Standing up, she shortened the distance between herself and Eric, allowing her husband to pull her into his arms.

Ariel hugged back as she felt Eric comb a hand through her hair.

She prayed her actions conveyed what she couldn't express in words at the moment.

"I missed you so much." He said sincerely. "I guess Sebastian was right."

"I missed you too. And what does Sebastian have to do with this?"

"Let's just say he gave me some food for thought."

"Oh really?" Ariel asked as she rested her head against his shoulder momentarily.

Eric nodded.

"What kind would that be?"

"I'll tell you later. " He said while holding her close to him.

"Later sounds nice." Ariel said as she brought her lips to meet his. "Later sounds really nice."

Later that night, Eric tucked Melody in at her request. He had really missed her and the little girl felt the same way about her Daddy.

Ariel had already sung to her and read her a story.

"There you go, sweetie." He said as he kissed her cheek and tucked the covers around her. "I love you, Melody."

"Love you too." Melody replied as her eyes closed. "Daddy?" She said a minute later.

"Yeah?"

"Stay? Please?" She asked sleepily.

Eric smiled as he sat beside her crib for the last night.

As he gazed down at his daughter's sleeping form, he smiled.

He knew Ariel was waiting for him, but he was going to take advantage of this time with his little girl. And right now, he wouldn't be anywhere else….

"Did Mel get to sleep?" Ariel asked softly as Eric joined her.

Eric nodded.

"Yup. She's off to dreamland."

"She really missed you." Ariel told him.

"I missed her too. " He said. He smiled as he pulled Ariel close to him. "And I missed you too."

"Ya know something."

"Hmm?" Eric asked, breathing in the scent of Ariel's hair.

"Melody's getting kind of big for that crib."

"I've been noticing that too." He said.

"You weren't there when she got out of it." Ariel said. Then with a giggle she added, "I think Sebastian' saw his life flash before his eyes."

"Speaking of Sebastian," Eric said. "He really needs to learn how to meditate."

"Daddy's said that too." Ariel told him. "But back to Melody. We really need to get her a big girl bed soon. She slept in one at Aquata's actually."

"How did she do?"

"Pretty well." Ariel replied.

"Then why don't we go look for one tomorrow." He suggested.

Ariel grinned.

"She'd really like that." She said.

"It's a plan then." Eric said. With that, he pulled Ariel close and wrapped a protective arm around her.

They each slept soundly that night, knowing the other would always be there nearby.

THE END


End file.
